Aggression training

Dog aggression training

Your cute, cuddly puppy has morphed into a growling grown dog and now you are not sure what to do. Having an aggressive dog is scary and disappointing, but don’t despair. You can get your well-behaving baby back with some proper dog aggression training, which is what we’ll help you with straight away!

For some reason, your puppy must have received signals that it is him (instead of you) who’s is in charge in the house. Therefore, he’s wrongfully living with the idea that it’s ok to behave aggressively towards you and/or your guests. With patience, persistence and a focused effort, you can reset your relationship, become the leader of the pack and get the reliable canine companion of your dreams.

Self-reflection

Firstly, you’ll need to take a brief moment for self-reflection to discover what kind of dog owner you are and which messages you’re sending to you’re dog.

  • Are you subconsciously encouraging this behavior by laughing it off or ignoring it?
  • Is your dog getting enough physical exercise? If not, he may be expressing his excessive energy and frustration through aggressive behavior.

Visit your veterinarian

Secondly, we recommend taking a visit to the veterinarian to make sure that your dog doesn’t have any underlying medical issues that could be responsible for this aggressive behavior.

If you’ve verified that no medical issue is causing the aggression, you can start working on becoming the kind of leader that a dog needs and start off with the required training.

Begin with establishing rules

Establish and implement rules, such as making your dog sit and wait before he’s allowed to eat his food. Another rule you should establish is to make your dog sit first before going outside. These are just two of the numerous rules & tricks which you can learn in the Online Dog Trainer video program by professional dog trainer Doggy Dan. Additionally, it’s important to establish a place inside the house where he is to lay down for resting, instead of hopping onto couches or in your bed. Letting him sit on a couch or a bed gives him the idea that he is equal to you and is therefore entitled to do whatever you’re doing.

Instill discipline

Re-instate or begin obedience training. You should hold daily sessions to remind your puppy that you are the leader and that he should follow your lead. In the world of dogs and wolves, a follower in the pack will never act aggressively towards the leader.

After a good walk, take your dog out for at least 15 to 20 minutes of obedience training practice. Not only will this reinforce your place as leader, but also stimulate his mind which can diminish any underlying feelings of frustration which may be bothering him.

Remember to show confident body language and speak with a calm, assertive voice. If you are in an angry or aggressive mood, or if you’re playing a non-leading role yourself, your dog will sense this. This will ratchet up the tension and make the training work ineffective.
What you also most definitely want to avoid is using punishment tools such as prong collars. These will only increase negative feelings and boost tension between the two of you, hereby creating an atmosphere void of trust and a willingness to work together.

At the same time, you should not tolerate any form of aggressive behavior by your dog. Any curl of the lip, soft growl or even threatening body language must immediately be corrected. Not allowing any subtle aggression before it grows into a full-blown growl or nip is very important when you’re working on disciplining your dog.

Please also bear closely in mind that while you are rehabilitating your dog, you must protect the people around him at all times.

  • Don’t leave your dog alone with children
  • Put him on a leash and/or use a muzzle when you’re around other people
  • Confine him when you have visitors

If you’ve closely followed the advice above, visited your veterinarian, have tried out Doggy Dan’s highly effective Online Dog Training solution, and still haven’t noticed any improvement with your dog’s behavior after several weeks of sincere efforts, you may want to consider hiring a local dog trainer that can help you eliminate your dog’s aggressive behavior through a custom, intensive training program. Practically all dogs, regardless of how aggressive they may be at some point, can be fully rehabilitated and go on to lead a peaceful, loving life which is in harmony with his home, leader and environment.